“No, no, this is for you.”
Lu Yinghan’s eyes flew wide open.
She was stunned for only a moment before she regained her composure.
Her gaze was filled with curiosity and suspicion.
It wasn’t that she was deliberately acting this way.
It was just that, given how the Lu family treated her, she genuinely couldn’t figure out why He Shu would bring her dessert.
And not just any dessert—strawberry mille crêpe, Lu Xuanyao’s favorite.
The look in Lu Yinghan’s eyes left He Shu at a loss for words.
Facing her own biological daughter,
she actually felt awkward.
“Mom just felt that yelling at you like that tonight wasn’t right…”
He Shu’s voice grew quieter and quieter.
Yelling at her wasn’t right, and then what?
Bringing cake over to make her cool down, to make her not dwell on today’s events?
Along with everything from before too?
Whether Lu Yinghan would forgive her, she didn’t know, but she did know one thing.
If this had happened to her, she would definitely have been upset.
“Mm… I’m fine. Just leave it on the table.”
“Okay, okay, sure.”
Lu Yinghan didn’t think much of it—she actually found it rather novel.
This was the first time He Shu had ever brought her food.
She sat in her chair, watching He Shu step forward and gently place the mille crêpe cake on the table, waiting for her to leave.
With her hands now empty, He Shu fidgeted nervously, rubbing them together.
Lu Yinghan said she was fine.
But she didn’t seem fine…
“Um, Yingying, Mommy didn’t mean to say those things to you today. I was really anxious at the time…”
He Shu found that her mouth, at moments like this, only made things worse the more she spoke.
It sounded like as long as she was anxious in the future, she could treat Lu Yinghan however she pleased.
Realizing she’d said the wrong thing, He Shu fell speechless…
“Mom, I understand. You don’t need to say any more. I need to do my homework now. Could you please step out for a moment?”
Lu Yinghan looked up, staring unblinkingly into He Shu’s eyes, with a hint of pleading.
She wasn’t sure what attitude she should take toward a mother who was acting like this.
In her mind surfaced the memory of her previous life—after Lu Xuanyao went missing, this mother she rarely spoke to had shoved her directly.
Shoving her while spewing harsh words, yelling at Lu Yinghan without the slightest mercy.
Just like tonight.
“Why didn’t you keep an eye on your sister? Huh? How could you not have seen someone that big?? What were you thinking?”
Thirteen-year-old Lu Yinghan,
after enduring a torrent of abuse from her biological mother,
was completely and utterly done.
She pressed her lips together, glanced at He Shu who stood frozen like she’d been struck by lightning, then lowered her head to continue smoothing out the wrinkles on her homework, picked up her pencil, and began writing.
He Shu stood rooted to the spot, the pain in her chest spreading and intensifying.
She seemed to finally understand what that palpitation in the garden a few days ago had been…
The window facing the garden looked out onto the corridor leading to the storage room.
So Lu Yinghan had passed through that corridor that day?
She just hadn’t noticed…
Even though she still called her “Mom,” it was more like the polite courtesy between strangers…
“Mommy, look at the dinosaur I made with playdough! When my little sister comes out, I’m going to give her the little dinosaur~”
A long-buried memory surfaced hazily in He Shu’s mind. She couldn’t quite recall what the scene looked like.
But she clearly remembered Lu Yinghan’s voice.
Soft and sweet.
Filled with attachment to her, and full of anticipation for Yaoyao, who hadn’t been born yet.
“Ying, Yingying… okay, Mommy will leave now. I won’t disturb your homework.”
He Shu’s voice was already choking up.
Her mouth twisted with grief, her voice thick with tears as she carefully spoke those words.
After saying them, she covered her mouth with her hand and quickly left Lu Yinghan’s room.
“Hm… why is she crying?”
Hearing the sob in He Shu’s voice, Lu Yinghan raised an eyebrow in confusion.
She shook her head, dismissing the thought, and focused on writing her homework for the day.
He Shu stumbled back to her room, the more she thought about it, the worse she felt.
Aside from the fact that Lu Yinghan’s living conditions were subpar—which made He Shu feel somewhat guilty toward her—
the way she had treated her made He Shu feel a bit wronged.
That emotion took up a larger share.
If Lu Yinghan ever found out about that thought, she’d definitely roll her eyes again.
She was blaming her now?
Back in her own room, Lu Xiong was sitting at the desk, reading a book intently.
“Oh, you’re back. Where’d you go?”
Hearing the door open, Lu Xiong didn’t look up, speaking to He Shu in a doting tone.
There was no response—instead, he heard the sound of sobbing.
Startled, Lu Xiong immediately looked up, tossing the book aside.
He rushed over to He Shu, nervous and at a loss.
“Honey, what’s wrong? Who made you cry? Tell me! I’ll sort them out for you!”
He Shu wiped her tears and glared fiercely at Lu Xiong.
Suddenly clenching her fist, she punched his arm.
“It’s all your fault!! Let me ask you—have you ever told Yingying about giving her room to Yaoyao?”
The dead memory came flooding back to Lu Xiong’s mind.
He sucked in a sharp breath.
Oh no!
He’d forgotten to switch Lu Yinghan’s room!
“W-wife… there is, but she never came to talk to me about it afterward. I assumed Yingying was living comfortably, so I forgot…”
He Shu’s gaze suddenly turned hostile.
Was this what living comfortably meant?
She wouldn’t even casually eat the desserts in the fridge, thinking they were Yaoyao’s.
And there was no way she would have taken the initiative to tell Lu Xiong about the room!
“Do you know where Yingying is living now?”
“Huh? I… I don’t know. I had Butler Liu arrange it. There are so many guest rooms in the house…”
Lu Xiong was eager to explain, but the moment the words “guest room” left his mouth, his heart gave a sudden jolt.
A numbing sensation spread through him, leaving him speechless.
Guiltily looking at his wife, his expression darkened.
Guest rooms were not allowed for family members to casually move into—that was a rule Lu Xiong had set to preserve the Lu family’s reputation.
The mansion had many rooms, most of which were repurposed for the children: the eldest son’s study, the second son’s dance studio and recording room, the third son’s design studio, plus the walk-in closets for his wife and Yingying, and a dedicated toy room—all for Yingying.
There were so many rooms that Lu Xiong had always assumed Lu Yinghan’s living quarters couldn’t be all that bad…
If Yingying wasn’t staying in a guest room, then where was she?
How could He Shu not recognize her own husband’s expression?
She angrily hit Lu Xiong again, speaking in a flustered, furious tone.
“Lu Xiong! Do you never follow through on what you say to your children?! After Yingying’s room was taken away for Yaoyao, she’s been living in the storage room!! If Butler Liu hadn’t taken me there at night, I wouldn’t even have known where our storage room was! And that’s where Yingying has been living!”
The image of Lu Yinghan’s cold, frosty gaze still lingered in He Shu’s mind, filling her with grief and resentment. By the end, her voice was completely choked with sobs.
“What?!”
Lu Xiong was utterly shocked. The trembling in his heart made even breathing feel like a piercing pain.
His eyes flew wide open.
And never blinked again…